Texas Couple Faces Jail Time For Enslaving Nigerian Nanny

The caretaker was forced to stand up during the day and slept on the floor during her 20 hour unpaid shifts.

A Texas couple is facing a handful of charges for keeping a Nigerian nanny locked in their home without pay for over two years.

The nanny, whose identity has not been revealed, was hired under false pretenses by Sandra and Chudy Nsobundu in September 2013. She was promised $100 every month as salary to clean their Houston area home and watch over their five children. Instead, the caretaker was enslaved and forced to work without pay from 5:30 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. every day, The New York Daily News reports.

The nanny was also abused by Sandra Nsobundu and forced to drink milk left in bowls that the children had used for cereal. The couple even took her passport. The victim was rescued after the National Human Trafficking Resource Center received a tip in October.

The Nsobundus were charged this week with forced labor, withholding documents, conspiracy to harbor an illegal immigrant, and visa fraud, and could face up to 20 years in prison.

“She regularly endured physical and verbal abuse and was not treated like a human being,” federal prosecutor Ruben Perez said.

Perez said the 38-year-old woman is currently receiving care. Sandra Nsobundu, 50, was granted an unsecured bond and Chudy Nsobundu, 56, a $5,000 bond. Ironically, Nsobundu told the court he runs a business that deals with home care services.